House Tour: The p_House

Robert Sweet's p_House came to our attention when a good friend living down in Redondo Beach contacted us about a residence they admired and passed by during their daily walks around their coastal neighborhood. Nestled between the traditional post-war homes and apartments that line the streets of Redondo Beach, the p_House is a modern live/work architectural update that retains it's historical foundation, literally, while also reaching forward with a progressive use of materials that optimize the home's impact and presence in the neighborhood...

Architect Robert Sweet retained the original footprint and foundation of the previous structure to build upon, utilizing the backyard section as the expansion to the original building. This notable aspect of the p_House is the knowing nod to the Southern California lifestyle, a home whose "inside out" spirit is realized with both an ever present view and the quality of light that permeates throughout, utilizing 14' sliding pocket doors, expansive sheets of windows, ventilated skylights, and the removal of interior walls tall expanding the perception of space within while inviting our eyes outward to the pool.

The p_House has several features that were designed with efficiency in mind. A ventilated skylight not only provides natural lighting and warm into the stairwell, but also doubles as a thermal chimney allowing warm air from the house to escape on hotter days. The passive solar design partnered with high efficient ceiling fans eliminates the need for A/C and the load required to heat the home. Other sustainable building materials and methods used include bamboo flooring, cement board siding, FSC certified cedar, tankless water heater, high solar reflective roofing, low V.O.C. paints, and xeriscape yards, making the p_house an update both architecturally and from the perspective of its long term environmental presence.

AT Survey:

My/Our style: I do not like the word style, but let’s call it modern by default.

Inspiration: The original house’s floor plan, and how bad it was.

Favorite Element: Oversized sliding pocket door to my backyard.

Biggest Challenge: The restraints of the small original footprint had on the design. I didn’t want the new house to grow horizontally on the site.

What Friends Say: When they lay out by the pool, they say they feel like they’re at a boutique hotel in the desert.

Biggest Embarrassment: There’s a Starbuck’s right across the street.

Proudest DIY: Making my kitchen table.

Biggest Indulgence: My large flat panel TV that can swing out 90º so I can watch football from my deck or pool.

Best advice: less is way more.

Dream source: IKEA. Must be selective when you go there, but soooo cheap!